Braised Greens with Sweet Red Peppers

• portionen: Serves 4
• gesamtzeit: 45 Minutes

Zutaten

Suggested: Pair with Mothered Oxtail Stew and Vanilla Mashed Potatoes

1 large brown onion, peeled and halved

3 red Romano peppers, stemmed and deseeded

½-I scotch bonnet, or 2-4 red chilies, stemmed, deseeded (optional) and finely diced or pierced and left whole

200ml chicken or vegetable stock

90ml vegetable oil

500g greens (e.g., Swiss chard, amaranth, wild spinach, kale or collard greens), tough stalks removed and thin stalks and leaves thinly sliced

2 tsp smoked paprika

VARIATIONS (for cooking instructions see notes)

BRAISED GREENS WITH MUSHROOMS & SWEET RED BELL PEPPERS

400g sliced mushrooms

BRAISED GREENS WITH SMOKED FISH & PRAWNS

Omit the smoked paprika

2 tablespoon ground crayfish

400g smoked fish

200g prawns (fresh or frozen)

BRAISED GREENS WITH BEEF OR CHICKEN

500g cooked beef or chicken (if using raw chicken, see notes block)

Anweisungen

Place half the onion, 1 of the Romano peppers and the scotch bonnet or chilies, if not keeping whole, in a food processor with 60ml of the stock and blend to a puree.

Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Thinly slice the remaining half onion and, once the oil is shimmering, add to the pan with a generous pinch of fine sea salt. Sauté for 10 minutes, stirring often, until softened and golden.

Slice the remaining Romano peppers in half length-ways and then crossways into strips.

Add to the pan with the sliced green stalks and chilies, if keeping whole. Sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Then pour in the onion and pepper puree. Cover with the lid slightly ajar and simmer gently for 10 minutes, until the peppers and stalks soften and the puree thickens. Stir occasionally, adding a few table- spoons of stock, if needed, to stop the sauce from drying out.

Add the smoked paprika and a generous pinch of fine sea salt and cook for 1 minute.

Add the leaves of the greens. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. The greens may release a lot of moisture, creating their own stock. If not, add some stock, a little splash at a time, to keep it moist but not drenched.

After 5 minutes, taste your greens to check for doneness and seasoning. If you are happy with the texture, remove from the heat and serve—if you want them more tender, cook for another 5-10 minutes, as needed. Don't forget to fish out the scotch bonnet if kept whole!

Notizen

From: Africana by Lerato Umah-Shaylor

PAIR WITH: Mothered Oxtail Stew + Vanilla Mashed Potatoes + spicy collared greens

“Best meal I’ve had this year” - Cult Flav

Cooking Variations

When cooked with more vegetables, fish or proteins this dish can truly be stretched for more meals or to feed up to 8 people. In the absence of red peppers or fresh chilies, or for a quick pot of braised greens, simply sauté the onion and add I teaspoon smoked paprika and ½ teaspoon chili powder alongside the remaining ingredients. You can enjoy this African-inspired delight in several guises.

Braised Greens with Mushrooms & Sweet Red Peppers

Sauté 400g sliced mushrooms with the peppers.

Braised Greens with Smoked Fish & Prawns

Omit the smoked paprika and add 2 tbsp ground crayfish with the puree. Scatter 400g smoked fish into the sauce just before adding the green leaves and stir in 200g fresh or frozen prawns 3-5 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Make sure the prawns are thoroughly defrosted before using. Cooked prawns will need a little less time to cook.

Braised Greens with Beef or Chicken

Add 500g cooked beef or chicken with the puree, before continuing to cook the greens as above. If using raw chicken breasts or boneless thighs, cook in the puree for 20 minutes before adding the greens.